On the way to the ball

Life has always had a way of happening around me.  Amazing things happen, the stuff memories are made of.  But is it just me, or does it happen to everyone and maybe they don't know how to recognize it?

I went to the Senior Ball in High School with my very best friends.  It was near the end of our senior year, we'd all had our relationships, serious and not so.  But we had each other, and I don't remember the decision, but it was made to all go together, in a minivan.

Becky and Josh, Kim and Michelle, Jim and I spent the day in the sun, lounging by the pool.  We all went our separate ways to get dressed.  We got back together a bit later to head off to the park where we enjoyed a picnic dinner, in our up-dos and gowns and tuxedos.  We laughed and talked, and talked and laughed.  I don't remember what we talked about, not a thing.

The hour was near to pack up our picnic and head to the Ball.  The guys rode up front, the girls packed in the two rows of seats in the back.  We were ready.  We were ready to dance, to see our friend's dresses, meet up with our other friends, party like it was 1999.  We were ready.  We stopped at one of the hundred traffic lights on Genessee Street.  The light turned green and within about 100 feet, we stopped at the next red light.  The station wagon next to us was loaded to the brim with groceries, we noticed that right off- and had already started laughing.  The light turned green and in another 100 feet we stopped again.  Josh rolled down his window and motioned to the man driving the station wagon to do the same.  He did  and Josh said, "Excuse me sir.  Do you have any Grey Poupon?"  And the light turned green and we drove off.  We got lucky and missed the next couple lights.

And the next light turned red.  We were still laughing at the exchange, it really was funny.  I'm not sure who noticed first, the man in the station wagon was next to our car again.  This time, he was motioning for Josh to roll his window down.  As he did, the man yelled, "But of course."  And he passed Josh a jar of French's Yellow Prepared Mustard.

I don't remember the Ball.  I remember everything about the day leading up to it and after it.  We checked out a few parties, drove around for a time.  We sneaked into the State park and walked to the beach.  We kicked off our dance shoes and walked along where the water and the sand met.  We laid in the sand and gazed at the stars.  We talked about our plans, who we thought we'd be, what we'd be doing over the summer, what college would be like.

And we drove home as the stars faded and the sun came up.  It was a new day.  I laid my head on my pillow and slept, with the most amazing memories of friends and youth and love and hope.  Tucked in for a day in time to remember.